Japan's Suga to Hold First Party Leader Debate Next Month... Likely to Decide Olympic Hosting Fate

▲Yoshihide Suga, Prime Minister of Japan [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The decision on whether to proceed with the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics is expected to be determined through a party leader debate between Japan's ruling and opposition parties scheduled for next month.

According to Kyodo News on the 26th, Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) agreed during a National Diet Policy Committee chairpersons' meeting to hold a party leader debate during this regular Diet session.

Jun Azumi, CDP Policy Committee Chairperson, said that after meeting with Hiroshi Moriyama, LDP Policy Committee Chairperson, they agreed to hold the party leader debate during the regular Diet session, which ends on June 16.

He added that they are considering early June as the specific timing.

Before meeting Moriyama, Azumi met with other opposition party Policy Committee chairpersons, including the Communist Party and the Democratic Party for the People, to consolidate opinions and request the ruling party to hold the party leader debate.

Considering that LDP President and Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is scheduled to attend the G7 summit in Cornwall, southwestern United Kingdom, from June 11 to 13, the debate is expected to be arranged around June 9.

The party leader debate refers to a one-on-one question-and-answer session between the ruling party leader (Prime Minister) and opposition party faction leaders (similar to negotiation groups in the Korean National Assembly) on various current issues.

Japan introduced this system in 2000, modeled after the United Kingdom's parliamentary 'Question Time.'

During the regular Diet session last year, near the end of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's second term, the LDP did not participate, so the debate did not take place.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Therefore, if this party leader debate takes place, it will be the first in two years and the first for Prime Minister Suga, who was elected LDP President succeeding Abe in September last year.

The biggest issue Japan currently faces is whether to hold the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, postponed by one year to July-September this year due to the COVID-19 situation.

Representing the Japanese government, Prime Minister Suga has emphasized implementing thorough infection control measures to realize a safe and secure event, dismissing growing calls for cancellation and maintaining his determination to proceed.

However, as public opinion demanding cancellation grows amid the spread of COVID-19, and with the Suga Cabinet's approval ratings continuously plummeting, weakening the Prime Minister's political standing, it is becoming increasingly difficult for him to push forward with the Olympics.

Some analysts suggest that the party leader debate next month could be a turning point determining the fate of the Olympics.

The opposition is expected to decide whether to submit a no-confidence motion against the Suga Cabinet based on the outcome of the debate.

Azumi indicated the possibility of submitting a no-confidence motion by stating, "Unless it is a very special situation, it is common to make various judgments after watching the party leader debate."

Regarding the opposition's potential submission of a no-confidence motion, Prime Minister Suga has previously stated that it could be grounds for dissolving the Diet.

This implies that following the party leader debate, the House of Representatives could be dissolved unexpectedly before its term expires in October, leading to a snap general election and rapid changes in Japan's political landscape.

Regarding the specific topics of the party leader debate, Azumi expressed hope that "Prime Minister Suga and the party leaders discuss issues such as whether to hold the Tokyo Olympics and the extension of the regular Diet session," indicating that the Tokyo Olympics will be the main issue.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.